Chinese broccoli

Kaï-lan

What it is

It is the same botanical species as cabbage and cauliflower, selected in southern China for the stem rather than the head, and the flowers are meant to be open when it is cut. Its clean bitterness comes from the same glucosinolates as mustard, concentrated in the stalk rather than the leaf.

In the kitchen

Split the thick stems lengthways so they cook at the rate of the leaves, blanch ninety seconds in water with a spoon of oil, and dress hot with oyster sauce. Cooked whole you get raw stalks and grey leaves in the same dish.

Goes with

Oyster sauce Garlic Ginger Toasted sesame oil Soy sauce Shaoxing wine Chili pepper

Same species

Baek-kimchi Broccoli Brussels sprout Cabbage Cauliflower Cavolo nero

Also used with

Shacha sauce

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us